Directions

In a blender, combine green pepper, onion, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon cumin and salt. Pulse, while pouring 1/8 cup olive oil through top of blender. Blend until smooth; set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in pressure cooker on medium heat. Saute green pepper mixture for 1 minute, then stir in achiote powder and 1 teaspoon cumin. Cook for 1 minute, then stir in tomato sauce. Return to a simmer, then add beef; let simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes, then pour in wine and water. Drop in the bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute; add water, if necessary, to cover.

Cover with lid of pressure cooker. Following manufacturer's directions, cook under 15 pound pressure for about 30 to 45 minutes.

Most Helpful Positive Review

Jun 06, 2003

Hi everyone, I didn't realized my recipe made it here. Just a note: You can store the green pepper mixture in a tupperware in the fridge for up to 3 weeks and use it whenever sofrito or onion etc is needed. In place of achiote you can use saffron or azafaron. These are cuban spices.

Most Helpful Critical Review

Oct 02, 2003

We really looked forward to this one. There are so few pressure cooker recipes on this resource.The reviews made us yearn. Sadly we could not have been more disappointed.Achiote not found, we used Annato,(search engine says it is same(?).We used red sangria wine as were out of white.Recipe divides salt but does not use 2nd half (we tossed it in). No way that all the liquid (5 cups) would fit in the 3/4 safety zone of pressure cooker. We cut back to 3 cups water(still was too much).We used powdered bouillon instead of cubes. Our opinion Color=EXC. Taste=Bland Texture=Too thin and a little oily, (We thickened with flour to little avail). We used 3 cubed potatos and they were terribly overcooked after the 40 min. at 15 lbs pressure.The blended trinity of bell pepper, garlic & onion was exciting and we will utilize that method in further stew/chili/soup concoctions.We just need to find a better flavor spice base and will keep trying. If the stuff had worked we were gonna call it Guantanamo Stew.

This dish was EXCELLENT. NOTE: I DID NOT USE A PRESSURE COOKER. I just don't have one, but I think it was better because I could simmer it for 1 1/2-2 hrs and let the meat get tender some steam escape,and the mmmm... Gravy form. My husband (Mexican) loved it, ALTHOUGH, he insists its actually a Mexican Dish..;)LOL. Anyhow, my kitchen never smelled so good. Thanks so much for the Recipe. Its a Keeper!!!!!

Excellent Cuban recipe. The only change to make it authentic is not to blend the vegetables. Leave them in 1" strips. Also, you'll want to add frozen peas. One tip: serve in the sauce. Do not drain it. Allow everyone to serve themselves so they can get as much sauce as they want.

This recipe is pretty spot on. I've been making this forever. When you grow up Cuban it is mandatory to know this recipe. I just wanted to let everyone know that achiote is just yellow coloring. The spice in it won't make or break your recipe. Follow this recipe (plus or minus the water amount - you'll only know after the first try) and add the yellow food coloring last. Add 5-7 drops. Like mom said 'al ojo' which means eyeball it. Additionally, if you do find that your recipe is too watery then add about a teaspoon of cornstarch. My mom has also thickened it by grating about 1/8 of a potato. Again, not an accurate measurement. Apparently when she grew up measuring spoons and cups were just a new fad they never thought would catch on.

This was very tasty and fairly easy to make. I served it over steamed rice and my husband really liked it. The Oriental/Filipino market in our area has the Achiote powder. It's called Mama Sita's Annatto All-Natural Food Color. I read the other reviews and cut the water down to two cups and I added the potatoes towards the end and cooked it another 5 minutes in the pressure cooker. It still had a lot of liquid left so I think next time I'll cut it down to 1 1/2 cups water instead of 4.

The broth for this dish is EXCELLENT. I will use it for many other types of stew. Let me say, however, that I did not use a pressure cooker (don't have one), and I did not add achiote powder (have no idea what that is). We had unexpected company for dinner just as the dish was done, and everyone -- all 8 of them -- LOVED it. They loved the broth the most. (I used venison rather than beef, and about 6 potatoes rather than 2.) I served it with a side of freshly baked sourdough bread, and apple dumplings(recipe found here)for dessert.

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.